As most of you know the Sentinel is in the midst of celebrating our 75th Year Anniversary. Now like most of you, we have all been so used to dealing with the Sentinel that we often take it for granted. But the truth is there are not many African American owned and operated businesses that have sustained a history of 75 years.

Think about it… BET, was founded and sold in less than 15 years. Ebony is still going strong, but they are not yet 75 years old. Black Enterprise is going strong but they are not 75 years old either. In fact there are very few long-standing historical institutions within our community that are and remain committed to African Americans. Broadway Federal is still committed to Black folks and is still going strong. The Sentinel has and will continue to stand the test of time and will continue to stand strong. Harold and Belles has been around and has withstood the test of time and there are a few other businesses within our community. But time is the benchmark.

Now several people and businesses will come and go but it is consistency that will always win the race. Over the years people have taken shots at the Sentinel and believe me every shot finds its way to me. I hear about it, people call me and tell me about it but the truth is I try (and often I have to pray) not to lose my own focus and stay committed to just providing the best and most accurate news possible.

I believe in order to be successful you have to just keep doing your own good works, and not get caught up in the rhetoric of others. Well, my promise to all of you is I will keep doing the business of our community. I will work longer and harder to be OUR community speaking for itself and not worry about the opinions of others.

Again, the true test of time is longevity and the Sentinel is and will continue to be the oldest, boldest, longest and strongest voice in our community. So thank you for your years of support. Thank you for continuing to read and support the Sentinel and I promise to keep on pushing the envelope and making the things that are important to our community important to us all.

So, whether you agree or disagree, now more than ever I really need your input. I need to hear from you. I need to know what is going on in our community. I also need to know what other stories we need to tell, and what is on your mind. I really do want to hear from you, I want you to “Talk to Danny.”